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I consider working any 8hr-10 hr day in a office behind a computer or on a construction site building stuff off adderall true hard work. Working a 48 hrs straight non stop marathon which I did on adderall was not true hard work. It was cheating and dumb and I regret doing it and lucky to be alive pushing myself to those limits. I only accomplished that because I was stung out on adderall and sometimes pain pills too. You can't compare the sober you vs adderall you not worth it adderal you is a cheater who didn't care about food, rest, health, family or friends. The sober you for the most part will hate everything besides wathching tv for a couple months you'll have to be patient try to start working out, eating right and do your best at your day job or school u can.

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I work retail and do creative work - photography. Unfortunately I am in the midst of trying to find full-time job which seems even more difficult now that I won't have the energy. Or maybe, it's a good thing since I will offer employers my true self (non-adderall.)

My photography skills can pay well if I just put in the effort and creative drive. I dropped out of photography school and feel completely depressed about it. I guess thats why I put off the effort into pursuing it anymore. I should stop that.

I also walk dogs for extra cash which is helpful while coming off adderall because it gets me out and about and moving. Only thing is, it's so easy to put off being active and walking dogs.

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Hopefully your passion for photography should come back. Just do your best to get by however you can. This is why so many can't quit not because they don't want to its bills keep coming and doesn't wait for you to recover. It only made it worth my while to stop addy when I finally saw that adderal no longer helped me profit it was doing the opposite I couldn't focus on what made me money instead in some fantasy land doing things that were more of a challenge to my adderal brain vs paying the bills. I'll be honest I'm a year out and I still struggle getting my shit together still feel a little lost still hope and pray I have the motavation and energy to keep working harder and get totally out of debt that mostly this drug created. But I had no alternative I know if I never stopped addy I'd be in a way darker place if alive at all.

I think part of my problem now is I'm in a bad relationship I feel trapped in. It's a long story but think if I was single or in a healthy relationship I'd be in a much better place by now. I don't know why I put up with it and then again i do my son. Anyways going off track here hope you tough it out and quit for good it's worth it even with all the bs that comes with it.

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I'm sorry you're in a bad relationship, I understand how it can be a setback at times. But at least you are aware of it. You said how it's been a year now that you've been sober. Somehow, that calms me because my crazy brain wants to fast forward through this recovery period so I can be back to normal. I guess no one ever reaches normal again and the beauty of recovery is accepting that. When I was walking dogs today sober- not on adderall, I kept on finding myself sighing because I was tired or irritated because I wasn't energized enough to handle them (they were big dogs). I reminded myself to just breathe and embrace those tough times because I'm going to face them regardless.

I laid on my couch when I got home and received a text about an tv audition I had applied for yesterday (while on adderall) saying they wanted to see me in about 45 minutes. I got dressed quick went and auditioned. Not on adderall, extremely nervous but kept my cool. It actually went really well and I'm actually really proud of myself. I had natural energy flowing through me after the whole thing. It's nice to know what truly energizes a persons body and in this case it could have just been, being in front of a camera, working on set or with production.

None of my friends truly understand what I'm facing. I can not thank this website enough for being here at this time.

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Funny because my dog was born exactly 9 days before my quit date. I knew he was going to be coming home, and I didn't want him to ever see me on Adderall. It sounds dumb but he really did keep me going on the hardest days. (He also made some of the hard days even harder lol, damn puppyhood!!)

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Good question Sadderall. I think true hard work is something you can recognize when you see it, but it's hard to define. It means pushing your limits, making actual progress on tasks, being truly productive and generating new work, making progress in whatever way you measure it, whether it's taking on a new project, a new theme, submitting your work someplace, selling stuff, etc. If you're a construction worker, you know when you're truly working hard because shit gets done and you have a building or piece of furniture to show for it. But if you're slacking off on the job, failing to be as productive as you could be, you also know it on some level, if that makes sense.

So I don't think it can really be measured in hours, unless you're working in retail or something. It's also a matter of qualitative exertion. Someone who works for hard for 3 hours a day can accomplish more than someone who works an 8 hour day at a lower productivity level. You have to find the approach that works best for you. Some people use pomodoros, some people even do one hour on - one hour off.

I just signed onto the site this morning because I think I'm still stuck in the adderall mentality. I wake up every day expecting myself to be superhuman and then beat myself up for falling short. And then I wonder why I'm exhausted! So, thank you for your question And congrats on the audition!

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Thanks BeHereNow! I'm glad people appreciate my question. Your answer is one which has been motivating me through the past couple of days of coming off adderall. Especially at work. I get through my shifts at my own pace and am aware how my focus gets easily distracted. I would say "hard work" is being true to yourself and asking "did I get shit done today?" because I ask myself that at the end of every day. It does feel great when I can pat myself on the back and honestly say "yes. I did."

also, thanks for informing me on the pomodoro technique! It's pretty cool to look into when wanting to improve your productivity.

Thanks for signing on to the site. Honestly, it's the only thing keeping me going during these tough times. I check it more than I check my facebook at this point. I understand how being stuck in adderall mentality can get the best of you but just remember to be easy on yourself and take every task and moment as they come and stay mindful. That's what I've been doing. I've been yawning more than ever now at work and fighting myself to get coffee at 7pm (if I have coffee after 3pm I have horrible anxiety at night), but I just tell myself to embrace the comedown because adderall is not the answer anymore. Thanks for you answer again, and thanks for the congratulations!